What Are the Main Ideas of Behaviorism in Modern Psychology?

Behaviorism is an important approach in psychology. It looks at what we can see and measure instead of focusing on what's happening in our thoughts or feelings. Here are the main ideas:

1. Observable Behavior: Behaviorists believe that psychology should only study behaviors that we can see and measure. For example, if a dog starts barking when it hears a bell, we can observe and record that behavior.

2. Conditioning: There are two main types of conditioning in behaviorism:

   • Classical Conditioning: This is learning by making connections between things. A famous example is Pavlov's dogs. The sound of a bell (which doesn’t usually mean anything) became connected to food (which the dogs liked). So, when the dogs heard the bell, they started to salivate, even if they didn't see the food.
   • Operant Conditioning: This is learning based on the results of our actions. For instance, if a kid cleans their room and then gets praised for it, they are more likely to clean their room again in the future. The praise helps them learn that cleaning is a good behavior.

3. Environmental Influence: Behaviorists think that our behavior is greatly affected by our surroundings. For example, kids who grow up in loving and supportive homes may behave differently than kids who grow up in places where they don’t get that support.

By looking at these ideas, behaviorism helps us understand learning and how we can change behaviors. It has shaped many methods used in therapy today.